Wine Cave 101

What do bears, bats, and bottles of wine have in common? You may be surprised to learn that they areall quite happy as cave dwellers. It’s true – wine caves have been around for nearly 7,000 years. Manybelieve that the first wine caves were reported in the Roman catacombs and certain areas of Iran.However, once people caught on to the benefits of these subterranean structures – the consistently cooltemperatures, the natural humidity – the construction of wine caves exploded throughout Europe. Thepractice then migrated to the Americas, and eventually to right here in the Unites States. In fact, someof the first wine caves in the U.S. were built in the hills of Sonoma and Napa Valley in the latter years ofthe 19 th century. These underground structures aren’t just for romantic ambience or simple storage;they actually serve quite a functional purpose.

What is the purpose of a wine cave?

When it comes to the functionality of wine caves, these structures offer a variety of advantages in theworld of winemaking. Aging wine requires cool temperatures and high humidity, because humidityreduces evaporation, and high heat can destroy the quality of the wine. From a winemaker’sperspective, housing hundreds of barrels of wine in a climate-controlled warehouse is an expensiveproposition. Wine caves are incredibly efficient at storing and aging wine at the desired temperature of55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, and the natural insulation can save a winemaker thousands of dollars whencompared to the cooling and heating costs of a warehouse.

Wine caves also offer an ideal environment when it comes to humidity. A space that provides 70-90%humidity means decreased evaporation, and that means a reduction in the loss of wine due tounfavorable moisture levels in the air. This humidity also prevents oxidization of the wine by keeping thecorks properly moist. A dry cork can ruin a whole barrel of wine by allowing oxygen to seep through,making a wine taste more like vinegar. Simply put, the environment in a cave can help keep a wine fromaccidentally turning into very expensive salad dressing.

Another enemy of wine is light poisoning. Sunlight and bright light bulbs can turn delicious wine intoundrinkable swill at a startling rate. This is why many high-end wines come in black or dark-green glassbottles. Storing wine underground, in a cave, reduces the potential of the wines getting too muchexposure to the damaging light that can impact its flavor.

The Only Wine Cave in Georgia

Like many of the top vineyards in America, Yonah Mountain Vineyards has taken advantage of thebenefits of wine caves – the low temperatures, low light levels, and high humidity that make winehappy. In fact, Yonah currently houses what the only known wine caves in the state of Georgia. Thesestructures are an incredible feat of engineering, but, more importantly, they keep Yonah’s wines in theperfect environment to ensure the highest level of quality.

One of the best way to get to know Yonah Mountain Vineyards is through our wine cave tour and tasting experience. We’ll take you on a 90-minute walking tour of our vineyards and wine caves, all while sampling our very own wines. These are the only known wine caves in Georgia and are an incredible feat of engineering and wine-making alike. This is a great day-trip in Georgia if you’ve ever wanted to know more about Georgia and wineries in general.

If you’d like to schedule a wine cave tour and tasting, advance reservations are required for the experience. We hold our wine cave tours on Saturdays and Sundays. Learn more about our other special events and parties on our events page! We look forward to meeting you. Reserve By calling 706-878-5522 or email info@yonahmountainvineyards.com